SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — A grieving mother is sharing her story about the suicide of her young daughter, hoping to raise awareness about mental health, and reduce the stigma that comes with suicide. 

“My daughter [Kaleigha], she just turned 13,” Jaimie Brewer said. “She was just a very, very sweet little girl. And I’m not just saying that because she was my daughter. She’s very, very sweet. She thought about everybody. She put herself last.”

Brewer is a Springfield mom, who just experienced an unthinkable tragedy. 

“She was battling a little bit of depression and some anxiety issues. And on June 24th, she took her own life,” she said. “And I walked in and found her.”

It’s something we talk about all the time; the statistics, the number of people- the number of children- who take their own lives. 

988: National Suicide Prevention Hotline

“Every morning you wake up and think about how you can’t wake her up and say good morning. You can never see her again. And you always feel like, like I still go to say something about her, or to talk to her almost. And she’s not there,” Brewer said. 

According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2021, more than 48,000 people killed themselves. That number jumped by 2.6% last year, when nearly 50,000 people took their own lives.

 Here in Oregon, a report released by Lane County Public Health, dubbed ‘Suicide in Lane County’, tells us the numbers in our state are astronomical. 

According to that report, Oregon’s suicide rate has been consistently higher than the national average for more than 30 years. It also said between 2000 and 2020, 1,458 people died by suicide in Lane County alone. 

Dan Isaacson is a local advocate for mental health awareness in Lane County. He said in 2023 alone, eight children have died by suicide. 

“We rank last in mental health care funding around the country, we’re first in addiction,” Isaacson said. “I think oftentimes, we’re at odds because we’re living in conflict with our values. But that’s changing. I mean, we go through our lives thinking this is just normal but it’s not.”

This summer, Governor Tina Kotek and the Oregon Legislature signed six bills to address what some call ‘the behavioral health crisis in Oregon’. 

These bills will send funding to various areas; for example, $7.7 million going to child and adult suicide prevention, $4.9 million to community mental health programs for jail diversion services, and much more. 

“It’s a drop of the bucket, and it took 40 years to get to this point. It’s not going to be a one legislative session to get out of it,” Isaacson said. “It’s going to require a consistent change in the way we think about the problem, rather than just throwing money at it.”

Isaacson and others said talking about it in our own homes, with our friends and family, will help destigmatize suicide.

Todd Noble is the Public and Mental Health Director in Linn County. 

He said one of the main things his team keeps in mind when talking about mental health issues is open-mindedness. 

“We don’t want it to be uncomfortable, we want it to be an open discussion, and breaking down stigma,” Noble said. 

They do that by keeping a therapist in all of their schools. Noble said that way, you don’t disrupt a child’s day, and it can be much easier to open up about their struggles. And it doesn’t stop at the schools; Linn County Mental Health officials also go to any area to simply talk about suicide prevention and mental health help. 

“That’s part of prevention, is not only providing the service, but also breaking down those stigmas and realizing it is not a weakness, we’re all human, and to be human means you’re going to have struggles at times, and mental health is very important,” Noble said. 

In Eugene, the Eugene School District 4J has a program called ‘Care Solace’. It’s a mediation tool between a patient and a mental health provider. 

In Benton County, there’s a strong connection between mental health and law enforcement. 

The ‘Crisis, Outreach, Response and Engagement’ team, or CORE, is a relationship between the Benton County Health Department and Corvallis Police. It was created after a 58% increase in calls to police related to mental health services between 2018 and 2021. 

“That’s something that we take very seriously, and we make sure our officers are well-trained to respond appropriately to that. Crisis response and deescalation are interwoven into all the training that we give our officers, regardless of topic,” Captain Joel Goodwin said. “Mental health is not something that can be fixed in a 10 or 15 minute window of time, it’s sometimes a lifetime of issues… so from our standpoint, it’s really mostly about how we can connect them with the best resources and get them on path towards a better mental health situation.”

Goodwin said anytime police get a call about someone in crisis, someone from Benton County Mental Health comes along. That’s where people like Eric Bowling come in; he’s the Benton County Program Manager for all things crisis. 

“If we were on-site, we’d send one to two people,” he said. “One qualified mental health professional or licensed practitioner do the safety and risk assessment, because our same bar is that of the police departments and sheriff’s department, law enforcement in general — the imminent risk and danger to us to actually take any action. And then we also have the second person who can follow up the next day or the day after and get them connected to services long term.”

According the that report from the CDC, people between the ages of 25 and 65 and older, are at higher risk for suicide. 

David Geels is the Behavioral Health Director in Coos County. He said at one point, seven or eight elderly people died by suicide in the county, all around the same time. 

He said he and his colleagues tried looking into what may have caused so many people to take their own lives. 

“Most of these individuals didn’t reach out for help, there were no indicators they were at risk, most of them had seen their primary care provider within the last month or two, none of them had any significant health concerns either. And so, it was really hard to understand how we would be able to intervene,” Geels said. “You know, a lot of people who are at risk for suicide, they can be very quiet about it, and if there’s not a lot of social people around them who might not notice or engage, it might go unnoticed.”

As we know, it can difficult to talk about what’s going on in our lives; we often don’t want to bother those around us. 

But one local man is hoping to change that. 

Frank King is an advocate in Lane County. He also is a comedian. The topic of his stand-up routines might be a surprise. 

“I am the mental health comedian, which seems like an odd juxtaposition,” King said. “People ask, ‘Wait a minute, a comedian talking about depression and thoughts of suicide? Advocating?”. Well, it runs in my family, it’s called ‘generational depression and suicide.’ my grandmother and my great aunt; I came close enough in 2010. I can tell you what the barrel of my gun tastes like.”

It’s an unconventional way to talk about suicide, to say the least. King uses humor, or in his words funny personal anecdotes to destigmatize mental health issues. 

“Helps the difficult topic get digested. Puts people at ease, because it is a taboo subject, even though one person dies by suicide every nine minutes in the U.S., hardly anybody talks about it unless you bring it up. What I discovered was when I brought it up, everybody has got a story,” he said.

Even with people in our communities like King, who are working as hard as they can to make sure everyone feels seen and heard, suicide rates — in Oregon especially — are still high. 

Although, according to some data, there was a decrease in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During COVID we had a consistent talk about mental health, which was great. And there were a lot of bad things that came out of COVID. But one of the gleaming spots that we saw was a reduction in suicide, which we weren’t expecting,” Isaacson said. “And it came from the fact that people were calling people that they wouldn’t normally be calling, or spending more time on the phone that they normally wouldn’t have spent.”

So, with more and more people talking about these uncomfortable topics, what else is holding us back from getting people the critical mental health help they need?

Todd Noble said, it’s staffing. He said we need more qualified people. And as he oversees mental health coverage in Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties, staffing is the biggest issues these areas and other parts of Western Oregon are facing.

“Traditionally Linn County’s strength has been our mental health program, it’s been one of the strongest in the state, and because we have so much need, and we want to be successful. Linn County is pragmatic, we want to get the work done, but the biggest challenge right now is hiring staff. We don’t know where people have gone, but I think every single business has that issue, and certainly everybody in health has that. Our challenge now is to get our full workforce because there has been no time in any of our lifetimes where we have had more need for behavioral health services, breaking down stigmas, prevention, all of that important work, and that’s why we’re in this work,” he said. 

One of the ways Gov. Kotek and the Oregon Legislature hopes to combat these staffing issues, is through Senate Bill 1044 A. It’s giving money for various purposes related to behavioral health treatment. As just one part of the bill, $20 million worth of incentives is being given out to help recruit and retain health care providers in ‘underserved’ areas.

But until those staffing levels increase, experts said the best thing we can do is talk to people.

“We’re all busy, we’re all trying to do a million things at once, but if we just spend a little bit of extra time to spend a little bit more time in the lives of our loved ones and the people we know, to acknowledge and see them, it makes a measurable impact on our community,” Isaacson said. 

Even a simple phone call could lead to some much needed, deeper conversations.

And while it can be difficult to open up, parents like Jamie Brewer said to just reach out. 

“All the people that love and care about you if you hurt yourself, you’re definitely just passing the pain onto them,” Jamie said. “Because this pain is extremely bad, and I don’t wish it upon anybody.”

It could keep you from experiencing the heartbreak and devastation she’s going through, something she doesn’t wish on anyone else. 

“I would say that it could happen to your kid. I didn’t think it would happen to mine. Me and Kaleigha the day before, we were laughing and having such a good mom-daughter day,” Jamie said. “I was just telling her how much I love her that day. And I would tell her all the time how much I love her and I tell her how happy I was to be spending the day with her, and just like it’s such a special day. she was there and she was gone the next day.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988, a resource you can use 24/7. 

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The Send Silence Packing Exhibit, held on College Green on Sept. 5, aimed to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

Credit: Gabriel Steinberg

The Send Silence Packing traveling exhibit returned to Penn’s campus, raising awareness for suicide prevention and motivating students to become advocates for mental health. 

The exhibit, which was held Tuesday, encouraged community members to “send silence packing” — a message that advocates for active listening, caring for one another, and destigmatizing the discussion of mental health on college campuses and beyond. The exhibit also served as a reminder that Penn’s campus has a variety of resources focusing on mental health education ranging from University-run networks of support, like Wellness at Penn or student-led clubs, like Active Minds and CogWell.  

As students, faculty, and community members passed by College Green, they were invited to browse through racks of backpacks that included “stories of loss” as well as “stories of hope” on the subject of mental illness and suicide. 

This year’s exhibit featured more collaborative and engaging experiences as part of the exhibit. Next to the backpacks on display, a makeshift theater showcased the story behind the backpacks in an audio and visual way. This enabled participants to see and hear people who have experienced a loss to suicide. It also helped them understand the importance of a strong support system.

The personal aspect of stories surrounding mental health struggle is what makes CogWell Program Director Melissa Rice fond of this event. She shared her personal connection to mental health awareness, telling The Daily Pennsylvanian that “stories start conversations.”

“A friend noticed signs [of struggles with mental health] and just asked me a question I’d never heard before. Are you okay? I’m here for you, please talk to me, I’m never going to judge you,” Rice said.

CogWell President and College junior Carly Spandorfer said it was important for Penn to hold events like Send Silence Packing at Penn. 

“People often feel like they can’t even talk about their struggles. There’s stigma around it,” Spandorfer said. “Sometimes you have to push your mental health to the side to get work done [and] to get the best internship.” 

Active Minds President Milan Chand explained that the mere presence of the exhibit on campus made a difference.

Chand said that, in addition to the large banner that read “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay,” volunteers from a dozen clubs on campus would hand out small cards.

“Just inviting people to take a step back… to look at these cards that said ‘you are enough,’ ‘you matter,’ or ‘you’re loved,’ and I think that really got people excited to think someone gave them this,” Chand said.

Rice added that the exhibit showcased several of Penn’s mental health resources for students, many of which are more needed now than in previous years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ephraim Levin, an advisor for CogWell, a Penn chaplain, and a rabbi in the Lubavitch House at Penn, found the event a positive way to educate students on mental health and seek resources. 

“It’s a unique, larger event that shows the staff administration and student groups with a very strong, positive message that Penn is here and aware of the issues… that people feel that they are being supported… and finding what they need,” Levin said.

Counseling and Psychological Services Director of Integrated Care Initiatives Batsirai Bvunzawabaya shared that Tuesday’s event was just one “piece of a larger puzzle.”

“This is one of many events to make sure that we are having an ongoing conversation about mental health and mental illness, talking specifically today about suicide prevention,” Bvunzawabaya said. “We can’t expect students to do well academically or athletically or any facet of their life if we aren’t thinking about their health and well-being.”

Participants were encouraged to close the emotional experience on a high note by placing a post-it note on the “hope wall.”

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“We invited everybody to put up a note or something they’re grateful for, something they learned, or just something that they felt impacted by from today’s event and what they wanted to bring into the world after the day,” Chand said. “Our hope wall was nice and covered after the event.”  

Send Silence Packing visits 60 to 80 schools and communities each year with its display of backpacks, each with a unique story attached, according to its website. Penn is the second school to experience the Active Minds exhibit, Chand said. 

Penn offers many mental health-related resources for students. Wellness at Penn’s Student Health and Counseling offers extensive counseling options and its i care training teaches attendees to recognize mental health issues. Active Minds seeks to eliminate the campus stigma surrounding mental health issues and CogWell promotes active listening by having workshops with a variety of on-campus groups.

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One way individuals can share their stories is through writing. Personal essays, blog posts, and social media can all provide a platform for individuals to share their experiences and offer insights into how they overcame their challenges. Writing can also be therapeutic for the writer, as it allows them to process their emotions and reflect on their journey.

Another way to share stories is through public speaking. Speaking engagements at schools, community events, and conferences can offer a powerful platform for individuals to share their experiences and inspire others. Hearing personal stories from individuals who have experienced mental health challenges can help break down stereotypes and foster empathy and understanding.

Sharing stories can also be done through art and creative expression. Photography, music, painting, and other forms of art can all offer a unique perspective on mental health challenges and the journey of overcoming them. Art can also be a powerful way to communicate emotions and experiences that may be difficult to express in words.

Breaking the silence and sharing stories of overcoming mental health challenges can have a profound impact on individuals who may be struggling. It can provide a sense of community and connection, as well as offer hope and inspiration for those who may be in the midst of their own journey.

It is important to remember that sharing personal stories is a deeply personal choice, and not everyone may feel comfortable doing so. However, for those who do choose to share their experiences, it is important to do so in a safe and supportive environment. This may mean seeking out a therapist or support group, or simply choosing to share with trusted friends and family members.

In conclusion, breaking the silence and sharing stories of overcoming mental health challenges can be a powerful way to combat stigma and provide hope to those who may be struggling. Through writing, public speaking, art, and other forms of expression, individuals can share their experiences and offer insights into how they overcame their challenges. It is important to remember that sharing personal stories is a deeply personal choice, and individuals should always prioritize their own mental health and well-being.

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Atlanta – Struggling, frustrated and afraid. 

There’s concern about a trend today in the aviation industry: Some pilots are participating in health care avoidance behavior, particularly when it comes to mental health care.

One retired airline pilot with three decades of experience told Fox News, “It is really difficult to reach out for help.” 

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In one of the most high-stress jobs in which pilots are often overworked, Capt. Reyné O’Shaughnessy told Fox News, “They’re struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, depression, use and abuse of alcohol — and in some cases, drugs.”

A study on this topic was published in 2019 in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM). 

View from a plane. Some 72% of military pilots admitted to health care avoidance behavior over a fear of losing their wings, a recent study found. (iStock)

A simple question was asked: Have you ever felt worried about seeking medical care because it may impact your career? 

Nearly 78.6% of responding pilots answered “yes.”

In an even more recent study focused on military pilots and funded by the U.S. Air Force, a similar question was presented. 

Being a pilot is a high-stress job in which anything can happen. 

Results from the 2023 study revealed that 72% of military pilots admit to participating in health care avoidance behavior over a fear of losing their wings.

Capt. O’Shaughnessy said that while pilots are not encouraged to lie to their Aviation Medical Examiners (known as AMEs), she said pilots “guard the information that is so close to us, in fear that we may lose our livelihood.” 

Capt. O’Shaughnessy told Fox News that pilots “guard the information that is so close to us, in fear that we may lose our livelihood.”  (Fox News)

An AME is the person who evaluates and ultimately medically certifies a pilot to fly for the Federal Aviation Administration.

One AME for the FAA, Dr. William Hoffman, told Fox News that the process for pilots to get their aeromedical certificate once it is suspended can be time-consuming and expensive. 

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Without the certificate, pilots cannot fly. 

Facing barriers to mental health care only adds to an already stressful lifestyle. 

“It could take months to years, depending on how complicated their history is,” he said. “During that time, the airmen can’t fly.”

“So, for airline pilots, that can result in negative occupational, social and financial repercussions.”

Pilots have the responsibility of the lives of everyone onboard. (Fox News)

Being a pilot is a high-stress job in which anything can happen. 

Recently, a plane engine caught fire after hitting a flock of geese minutes after takeoff in Ohio. What happened is proof that anything can happen — and it shows the reality of the weight pilots carry every day. 

They have the responsibility of the lives of everyone onboard.

Facing barriers to their mental health care only adds to an already stressful lifestyle.

Some 56.1% of pilots reported a history of health care avoidance behavior. 

In a 2022 study conducted at the University of North Dakota and published in the Journal of Occupation and Environmental Medicine, Dr. Hoffman led research on the issue (he is also a faculty member). 

The results were staggering: Some 56.1% of pilots reported a history of health care avoidance behavior, while 45.7% admitted seeking informal medical care. 

Capt. Reyné O’Shaughnessy told Fox News that some pilots today are “struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, depression, use and abuse of alcohol — and in some cases, drugs.” (Fox News)

Capt. O’Shaughnessy provided context on the latter statistic, saying that pilots “go underground, and they self-medicate, or they don’t medicate at all. And that is the conundrum, because regulation does nothing more than drive pilots underground.”

Both Dr. Hoffman and O’Shaughnessy said the FAA does deserve credit. 

“I do believe that they are trying to make strides in changing the regulations. Now, I think the real issue is how fast,” O’Shaughnessy said.

In a statement to Fox News, the FAA said that it “encourages pilots to seek help if they have a mental-health condition since most, if treated, do not disqualify a pilot from flying.” 

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It said the concern does not focus on pilots simply seeking help for mental health, but rather on certain medications that could possibly be prescribed to treat anxiety or depression. 

The FAA said if certain medications are used, or conditions go untreated, that is the factor that could disqualify a pilot from flying.

Still another part of the problem, according to Dr. Hoffman, is misinformation. 

“Many pilots don’t know that you can see a therapist and still fly.”

He said, “Pilots are really frustrated. There is a lot of misinformation going around about mental health in aviation. Many pilots don’t know that you can see a therapist and still fly.”

In recent years, the FAA has made changes, including the creation in 2016 of the Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee, known as ARC.

It was created to evaluate pilot mental health after the German Wings 9525 incident, in which a co-pilot intentionally crashed a passenger plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 people onboard. 

Said one longtime pilot, “We need to train differently. We need to, because if we do that, not only will our passengers be safe, not only will our pilots be safe — but our skies will be safe.” (Fox News)

The co-pilot had been treated for suicidal tendencies but hid the information from his employer. 

Dr. Hoffman said research is still limited, so it’s important to conduct more and find out how to better improve mental health in the aviation industry. 

“If there was an easy solution, we would have already identified it,” he said.

It’s not just the FAA or even the pilots who need to help find a solution. 

If pilots need help, they are encouraged to see their health care provider. 

Said Dr. Hoffman, “All stakeholders stand to gain by working on health care avoidance. For pilots, this is about getting the health care that they need. For airlines and companies, this is about cost savings and maintaining aviation safety. And for regulators, this is about ensuring that the aerospace system is safe.”

Meanwhile, Capt. O’Shaughnessy said there needs to be a holistic way to train pilots in the future. 

A plane lands at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

“We need to look at aviation differently. We need to train differently. We need to, because if we do that, not only will our passengers be safe, not only will our pilots be safe, but our skies will be safe,” said O’Shaughnessy. 

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It’s the reason she now dedicates her time to educating pilots on how to navigate aviation regulation. 

She is founder of Piloting to Wellbeing, an organization that provides mentoring and coaching.

She is also the author of the book, “This Is Your Captain Speaking: What You Should Know About Your Pilot’s Mental Health.”

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If pilots need help, either with their mental health or physical health, they are encouraged to see their health care provider, experts say. 

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